Monday, September 29, 2014

Monday’s M/M Quick Bites & Giveaway

As M/M Reviewers, between us we have read thousands of m/m romance novels over the years and we would like to share our favourites with you, those reads that have been 4+ stars for us. So every Monday we bring you our Quick Bites, short reviews of our recommended reads.

We have three fabulous Quick Bites to brighten up the start of your week from SE Jakes, J.S. Cook and Aleksandr Voinov. Don’t forget can can also enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win a Kindle eBook of your choice from this weeks Quick Bites, and let us know if you have read and loved any of these books or which one might be tempting that one click finger!

Catch A Ghost (Hell or High Water #1) by SE Jakes

Rating ~ 5 Stars

Synopsis

From New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Tyler, writing as SE Jakes....Everyone knows that Prophet — former Navy SEAL, former CIA spook, full-time pain in the ass — works alone. But his boss at Extreme Escapes, Ltd. has just assigned Proph a new partner and a case haunted by ghosts from Proph’s past. Suddenly, he has to confront both head-on.Tom Boudreaux — failed FBI agent, failed sheriff, full-time believer in bad luck — is wondering why the head of a private contracting firm has hunted him down to offer him a job. Still, he’s determined to succeed this time, despite being partnered with Prophet, EE’s most successful, lethal, and annoying operative, on a case that resurrects his own painful past.Together, Prophet and Tom must find a way to take down killers in the dangerous world of underground cage matches while fighting their own dangerous attraction. When they find themselves caught in the crossfire, these two loners must trust each other and work together to escape their ghosts . . . or pay the price.

Monique’s Quick Bite

It is no secret, I am a HUGE, as in MASSIVE, bordering on STALKISH …fan of SE Jakes. She was there at the very beginning of my obsession with M/M Romance, with her Men of Honor Series and I have every confidence that love affair may long continue.

The Hell and High Water Series for me is what pushed that love to a whole new level, and has since kept me enraptured, especially with the introduction of Prophet and Tommy to her portfolio of totally delicious characters… I love these two men… passionately and although we previously meet Prophet in Free Falling, their story starts with Catch a Ghost.

So you are probably wondering why I love this book so much… well. It’s SE Jakes! Enough said! But seriously, the woman can write up a storm and totally held me hostage throughout the duration of not only this first book, but the whole series so far. The plot is fabulous… a real action thriller with cage fighting, guns, torture, bombs… yes, I get excited about torture and bombs! With the mystery and intrigue keeping me guessing right to the end. Hot, hard and dirty sex between two alpha males that left me in a puddle of lust… I am salivating! Oh, and not forgetting the humour, I do love some snarky banter and Prophet and Tom certainly went at it and had me laughing out loud… just LOVED this book, and if you haven’t picked up this series yet… what are you waiting for?

Come To Dust by J.S. Cook

Rating ~ 4 Stars

Synopsis

In the frigid winter of 1891, with the nation still reeling from the Barings bank crisis, Inspector Philemon Raft returns from an involuntary sabbatical, tasked with solving the kidnapping of highly placed peer Alice Dewberry. Thrust into a sordid underworld where the upper classes indulge in disreputable overseas investments designed to fatten their pocketbooks, Raft finds himself at loose ends without his companion, Constable Freddie Crook. Far from offering their help, the ton use every asset at their disposal to keep Raft from discovering the truth about hapless kidnap victim Alice Dewberry—who may not even exist.Soon Raft discovers that his old nemesis, the workhouse master John Gallant, has returned to London. Gallant doesn’t say what he wants—but he knows enough to ruin Raft's career and even his life. Raft tries to solve the case with his usual strange insight, but there are other, darker forces at work. This is a frightened London: the London of Whitechapel, of Jack the Ripper, the London of poverty, dirt and despair, where a right turn down the wrong alley could earn Raft a swift trip to the morgue.

Mark’s Quick Bite

If you like a good, solid, murder-mystery plot set in an historical background with a touch of M/M romance thrown in and with a sprinkling of spooky supernatural on top, then this book has the lot! This is book three in a trilogy and rounds of the complete series wonderfully.

Joanne creates a wonderful dark and brooding Victorian London. Creating a superb atmosphere and draws the reader back in time to the streets of London with its sinister alley ways and characters. The characters are wonderfully described and the dialogues are well managed to match the era, but not that it’s difficult to read or to understand. This just added to the richness of the story, an essential part of any historical novel.

All in all, if you’re game is sleuthing like Sherlock in dark and sinister Victorian London, then you’re gonna love this book. Who dunnit? Well, you're going to have to read this book. A real treat.

The Lion of Kent by Aleksandr Voinov & Kate Cotanei

Rating ~ 5 Stars

Synopsis

Squire William Raven has only one goal—to finally receive his spurs and become a knight. When his lord, Sir Robert de Cantilou, returns from a five-year crusade in the Holy Land, William wants nothing more than to impress him.

After Sir Robert's return, noble guests arrive from France, bringing intrigue to the castle. William is oblivious to the politics, as he's distracted by nightly visits from a faceless lover—a man who pleasures him in the dark and then leaves—a man he soon discovers is none other than his master, Sir Robert.

But William can't ignore the scheming around him when he overhears a plot to murder Robert. He becomes intent on saving his lord and lover from those who would see him killed...

Macky’s Quick Bite

The story is set in medieval times - an age full of rough fighting men, buxom wenches, serfs, squires, knights, squabbling monarchs, court intrigue and religious wars. This was all captured brilliantly within the novella and interwoven with a sexy,but surprisingly tender love story between two tough hard men, each a product of his time, one born into nobility, the other lowly born, each of them living a life forced upon them by their circumstances.

William Raven was taken in by Sir Robert de Cantilou and his wife as a young boy and set to train as a squire, his goal in life to get his spurs and become a knight. He is hot tempered and cocky but very focused. Sir Robert goes off to fight in the crusades after the death of his wife - a politically arranged marriage - and returns 5 years later, a changed man. They've both hidden their feelings for men, but Robert, finding love with another comrade whilst fighting in the crusades, has come back, unwilling to admit it publicly but no longer wanting to deny his feelings again. I loved the pairing of these two men, the way their attraction unfolds into love was played out beautifully against the backdrop of its gritty medieval setting and the ending was realistically thought out and totally satisfying.

I haven't read any of them but I'd really like The Lion of Kent, knights have always been one of my favorites. I've been putting off reading the SE Jakes series until it is complete. Thanks for the giveaway.

EVERYONE should read about Prophet & Tommy. In them, S.E. Jakes has created my favorite pair of tattooed, pierced, tied up & spanked bad boys. Great series. I mean where else can you get such hot hurricane sex in the bayou, or such snarky, dirty dialogue? “Need help washing other places?”